Clouded Judgement
by World'sOnlyConsultingTimeLady
Summary: A break from the quest at hand will either strengthen or weaken the Seven's relationships. Set after HoH. Asexual Piper. Jasico. Percabeth. Frazel.
1. Chapter 1

**For the lovely RainyDays-and-DayDreams, who gave me the idea for this fic. **

**It is not my intention to offend anyone in any way, and if I do, be it through character portrayals or plot ideas, I am sorry. **

**Jason's story will be tweaked to fit my plot, along with the time constraints of their quest. I couldn't decide which ships to sail in this fic, so I am leaving that up to you, my dear readers. If you'd like a particular ship, let me know (through a PM or a review), and I'll see if I can fit them in. **

* * *

><p>To say Piper felt empty was incorrect. She wasn't sick; she wasn't angry or sad; she was the same as she'd ever been.<p>

Jason's arms shifted around her body, and her musings were momentarily silenced, replaced with a slight discomfort. No, she wasn't empty or sick, but she would be lying if she said that nothing had changed. Her boyfriend's embrace didn't feel the same. It comforted her, engulfed her in love and warmth, but everything she felt toward him was platonic. She wasn't tempted to kiss him, not in the slightest. The thought hadn't even entered her mind until that moment, and, quite frankly, it repulsed her.

Smothering the urge to sever their contact, to jerk away from his suddenly suffocating presence, Piper remained frozen.

Surely her behavior was due to exhaustion. They'd been fighting monsters, after all, and Percy and Annabeth had just returned from Tartarus, their love for one another stronger than ever. Frank and Hazel were fine; even Leo had an air of love about him. The sensation she'd felt clinging to the son of Hephasteus indicated falling in love, versus sensation of potential love. That sensation clung to everyone, even herself, though over time, she'd learned to block it out. It was annoying; too many people had too many potential matches.

Nico reeked of unrequited love from the moment she'd clapped eyes on him, love she'd immediately connected with Percy. In an attempt to protect him and explain the strange glares the son of Hades shot at Annabeth or into an inanimate object whenever she was mentioned, she'd told Jason the boy was in love with the daughter of Athena. She felt that his love was his business and hadn't planned on mentioning it to anyone, but her boyfriend wouldn't stop pestering her about the son of Hades. To Piper's surprise, once Jason discovered the truth, he hadn't breathed a word of it to her, though she'd seen the difference in his behavior immediately. Subtlety wasn't Jason's strong point, not when it came to uncomfortable situations.

The act of protecting Nico was noble, admirable, but did Jason really think the daughter of Aphrodite wouldn't instinctively understand the son of Hades' (or Jupiter's) behavior?

Piper didn't know how to interpret her boyfriend's cluelessness. Being Aphrodite's daughter would be far more useful if she was gifted with the ability to understand her boyfriend, or any love interest beyond who they admired or possible interests; her inability to interpret Jason was maddening at times. Such was love, though. Confusing, complex, confounding.

It was worth it, right?

It should feel right, shouldn't it? Hadn't she yearned for his affection, for the Mist's distortions to materialize, for their own happy ending. Piper felt his love clear as day, though when she focused on his emotion, it dulled, hazy with a fervent desperation that had little to do with anything in regards to Aphrodite.

And around herself? There was nothing. She didn't care for anyone, even Jason, in such a way. Sure, she could see potential love interests for herself, but when it came to discovering whether she romantically loved or was infatuated with anyone, all the daughter of Aphrodite received was silence, ripe with purpose, though its focus was unknown. She didn't feel the remnants of love, just a vaguely uncomfortable awkwardness, a thin haze shrouding the silence.

"-looked good out there today, didn't he?" Jason asked, his questioning lilt ripping Piper from her thoughts. She was embarrassed to find that Jason had been speaking without her noticing. Usually, his voice hypnotized her with its warmth and subtle strength, though she never ignored his words or his voice before.

"Who?" Piper asked after a pause, infusing her tone with exhaustion, an easy feat considering recent events and previous musings. Hopefully, Jason would connect her ignorance with fatigue rather than indifference.

"Frank," Jason replied as he toyed with her hair.

"It was rather impressive. I've never seen anything like it before. I'm happy for him."

"Me too." Jason continued weaving his fingers through her hair, which remained nearly perfect despite the previous battle and Jason's inexperienced, thoughtless ministrations. He twirled a strand around his finger and released it. Piper couldn't deny that his actions sent waves of warmth and happiness through her body; however, it was a side effect of anyone playing with her hair, not a reaction to Jason specifically.

"I wish we could spend a weekend together, just the two of us," Jason said after a moment of silence. "No gods, no war, no prophecy; just you and me. We could go on proper dates, act like an ordinary couple."

"We can't," Piper blurted, far more emphatically than one who was supposed to be exhausted. Jason broke their embrace, removing his arms from her waist as he gently pushed her upright and spun her so that they faced each other.

"I would've thought you'd like something like that."

"Why, because I am a daughter of Aphrodite, and therefore I must have nothing better to do than wish I could be properly alone with my boyfriend? News flash, Jason: there's more important things to be concerned with now than our relationship!" Piper exclaimed. Immediately after the words left her mouth, she regretted them.

Jason's eyes narrowed. "That wasn't what I meant at all, and I think you know it. What's gotten into you? Is the thought of going on a date with your _boyfriend _really so horrible?"

_Yes. _"No! It just isn't my top priority right now. We have a mission, Jason, one that is far more important than our relationship! I refuse to be one of my siblings, and I-"

"I get it, okay? I get that the mission takes priority. I get that a break right now is _clearly _selfish. You claim to be different than your siblings, but you act just like them. You complain about everyone seeing you only as the daughter of Aphrodite, but that's only because YOU are constantly reminding everyone about it."

Jason's anger swept over Piper as his blazing eyes burned into hers. His hazy affection grew solid, a sour, tangible presence tainted with anger and familiar desperation. Shame, sharpened with fury and denial, stung Piper.

"If I am so horrible, then why are you still with me? Why are you so insistent on being together? Surely being stuck with me is worse than being alone," Piper snapped.

Jason clenched his jaw, and she braced herself for another harsh reply. Much to her surprise, however, his face fell as he relinquished his hold on her and looked away. "I don't know," he murmured.

It was the last thing she expected to hear, and it caught her off guard. Tears of frustration burned Piper's eyes as understanding dawned. "It's the Mist, isn't it? You're clinging to this because it's the first thing you remembered, even though it wasn't real."

Jason winced and lowered his head, his golden blonde hair obscuring his face. "It's the only thing that feels real anymore," he murmured after a pause.

Any remnants of Piper's anger were expunged. She didn't know how to react to this, to the disgust she felt toward her tampered mind (the repulsion no doubt magnified exponentially for him). Jason's voice, rough with pain and sadness, was a tangible presence, and the tense air, heavy with tears unshed, blanketed them like snow, concealing and preserving their previous altercation.

She hadn't wanted the argument to end like this, with white flags drenched in depressed dependency. She'd expected a battle, not this, not hopeless surrender.

"A general break from the quest wouldn't hurt," Piper offered. "We're all stressed and exhausted; surely the others would understand..." She trailed off awkwardly, trepidation mixing with bile that stung her throat and polluted the back of her mouth. _I just want a **break.** _

Jason stared at her, eyes narrow and mouth pursed slightly in concentration. "I agree," he replied. "A break sounds wonderful."

For a second, Piper thought, hoped, that he'd detected her deeper distress, but then he wove his fingers through hers, and his toxic love coiled around her. The daughter of Aphrodite sighed and allowed the son of Jupiter to embrace her once more, impossibly exhausted yet painfully aware of the Mist swirling around Jason, continuing to cloud his thoughts and memories despite his previous enlightenment.

She didn't know how much more she could take of this. A break from the _quest_ was the last thing Piper needed.


	2. Chapter 2

"A break?" Percy reiterated, voice tinged with wary longing. "Piper, as great as that sounds, we can't afford to take a break."

Surprise and irritation filled Piper; she'd expected arguments (it would've reflected badly on them were they completely absent), but she hadn't expected her fiercest opposition to be Percy.

"Can we afford not to, though? How much longer can we handle this stress without repose?" Piper fought for composure as she endured the Six's, and Nico's, scrutiny, fought for control over her urge to charm-speak her way into victory. It was an urge she'd indulged in for far too long, and now she suffered the consequences of honoring petty boredom.

Annabeth folded her hands atop the table. "We do not have the time for a break; however, I agree with Piper," she said. "The quest will not be fulfilled fully if we are unable to rise to the challenges."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Percy argued. "Last I checked, none of us had power over time. We may function better with more rest, but we can't afford to put our well-being over the world's."

"What if, by putting the world first, we destroy it?" Jason asked. "What then? We would've wasted our time, and everything we've been doing would be worthless."

"My friends and I saved the world once without a break; we can do it again." Percy fiddled with Riptide and looked at Piper. "I'm sorry. I want a break as much as you do, but I don't agree with it. Not if we have to sacrifice time defeating Gaea."

"Maybe we don't have to worry about time," Hazel offered. "Maybe we could bend or freeze it for a little while, enough for a break."

"We'd have to look for a spell," Frank replied, "and that would waste time, too. If we found it, we would've spent so much time searching that we might as well have just taken the break."

"I agree with Piper," Nico murmured. Shock rippled through the seven like a large, silent wave. If his despondent nature was overlooked, Nico could've been a child of Poseidon, the way his emotions grew turbulent and stormy, only to be tethered into shockwaves of calm chaos. It was easy for Piper to understand his affections regarding Percy, blessing of Aphrodite aside.

"Why?" She blurted, doubts flying unbidden from loose lips.

Nico blinked. "I'm exhausted. I came aboard for support and rest, but I'm not the only one who needs it." His gaze flickered over Jason before returning to hers. Genuine concern marred his apathetic mask, a sight shocking not in the humanity itself, but by its recipient.

The recipient being, naturally, completely distracted by Nico's support to notice the other behavior.

Piper cleared her throat, and six pairs or eyes focused on her, Percy's gaze conflicted, and Nico's downcast, studying the table's patterns absentmindedly. "I-"

Leo's jaw dropped, and his star struck expression silenced the daughter of Aphrodite completely.

"Calypso?" The son of Hephaestus leaned forward in his seat, eyes clapped upon a figure behind Piper, and she felt rather than saw attention fall away from her.

"No, dear." A feminine chuckle chimed pleasantly as Piper turned and beheld her mother, blonde hair gathered in a braid and clothed in jeans and a plain shirt. Her form flickered, flashing bodies of several different women, earthy teenagers and beautiful models alike, even, briefly, a younger version of Poseidon, before it settled into the woman Piper always saw.

Conflicting emotions filled Piper at the sight of her mother, at the tug in her mind and heart towards Aphrodite's presence and power.

Piper felt the glamour fall away from the goddess, shaping her into a universal rather than personalized beauty. The simple elegance relaxed the daughter of Aphrodite, luring her into an arguably false sense of security.

"I heard you were having problems," she replied as she strode over to the opposite end of the table, where Percy sat uneasily. "Problems involving breaks and whether or not to take them."

"Why would that concern you?" Nico snapped. "You're not the goddess of slumber or laziness."

Aphrodite smirked. "I'm the goddess of love, Nico, son of Hades, and you'd do best to remember that." She stared at the son of Hades, their gazes locked in a battle of wills, before Nico glanced sheepishly away.

"Why do you care?" Frank asked, not unkindly.

"What can I say, I'm dying for proper entertainment? There hasn't been this much angst and love in a quest in _forever, _but it'll be wasted if you continue ignoring it in favor of obsessing over the world's fate."

"I'm sorry saving your hide is dull," Percy replied. "Don't you care about the world? About Romans versus Greeks?"

Aphrodite laughed. "Love's the same no matter what, Percy Jackson; it doesn't change regardless of race or belief or time. My Roman and Greek counterparts aren't at odds, much. Love is a universal constant. As for my brethren," her eyes flashed, and Percy shrank ever-so-slightly in his seat, "I love most of them very much, and I'd like for their offspring to be properly prepared to save them and the world."

Annabeth eyed Aphrodite warily. "What's the catch?"

"Hmm? What did you say, dear?"

"There's always a price or catch with godly interference. What is yours? And how are you going to provide us with a break?" Annabeth replied.

"I want restored balance and love, of course," the goddess replied, eyes latching onto Piper's in a knowing stare, "and the _how_ is quite simple. You'll rest through dreaming."

Leo snorted. "We're not stupid; we know you have to sleep to get rested."

It was Aphrodite's turn to roll her eyes. "You want a break from the quest, I'll give it to you. Dreams are separate from time; you'll be able to rest and recuperate with each other without worrying about the quest."

"You can control dreams?" Hazel asked.

"I'm the goddess of love; of _course_ I have power within the realm of dreams. Besides, Hypnos owes me a favor or two. I cannot put you to sleep, but I can control what you dream."

"How will we know our feelings are real?" Frank asked. "How do we know you won't tamper with them?"

Aphrodite's eyes narrowed, and her fists clenched and unclenched before her face melted into detached tranquility. "I do not mess with feelings that do not have their place," she replied as she rested her hands on the table. "Now, will you let me help you, or not?"


End file.
